What appeared to be harmless packs of Chinese tea washing up along the shores of South Korea’s Jeju Island have turned out to be a front for something far more dangerous — ketamine.
Since September, authorities have recovered around 28 kilograms (62 lbs) of the illegal drug on at least eight separate occasions. The packets, wrapped in foil and marked with the Chinese character for “tea,” were discovered by beachgoers and local cleanup crews.
Ketamine, a powerful anesthetic used medically in small doses, is a banned recreational drug in South Korea. When misused, it can cause severe health issues including heart, lung, and psychological damage.
The Jeju Coast Guard has launched a full-scale investigation to trace how the drugs entered South Korea, examining possible maritime smuggling routes. Residents have been urged not to touch or open any suspicious packages found along the coastline and to report them immediately.
The largest discovery so far occurred on October 15, when a beach cleaner in Seogwipo, southern Jeju, stumbled upon 20 kilograms of ketamine disguised as tea.
Earlier this week, more than 800 soldiers, police officers, and volunteers scoured beaches along Jeju’s northern coast as part of an island-wide search effort.
Authorities suspect the drugs may have drifted to Jeju via ocean currents, noting similar discoveries in Pohang, South Korea, and Tsushima Island, Japan.
Yoon Heung-hee, a professor specializing in drug and alcohol addiction at Hansung University, suggested the drugs could be linked to a larger trafficking syndicate employing a “sea bump” smuggling technique — dropping sealed drug bundles equipped with GPS trackers into the ocean for later retrieval.
Local residents have expressed growing unease. “I often bring my children to this beach,” said one Jeju resident, Kim. “It’s terrifying to think they could accidentally touch something like that.”
Authorities are now working to prevent further drug packages from reaching shore and to identify the criminal networks responsible.
